1. Take turns observing the samples of seaweed displayed around the room.  Use the Seaweed Description worksheet to record your findings.  For each seaweed:
    1. Write down the number of the sample.
    2. Look at the seaweed and write down the colors you see in it.
    3. Look at the shape of the seaweed overall, and the shape of its parts.  Write down a few words to describe these shapes.
    4. Feel the seaweed and write down one or two words to describe how its texture feels.
    5. Smell the seaweed the sample of cleaned seaweed, and write down one or two words to describe its smell.
    6. Taste the sample of cleaned seaweed, and write down one or two words to describe the tase.

 

  1. If you were naming this seaweed, based on your observations, what would you name it?  Invent a two-word name for each seaweed.  Use a noun, and an adjective which describes the most striking quality of the seaweed.  Write the name you give each seaweed in the box under its number and description.

 

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STUDENT INSTRUCTIONS

FINDING AND COMPARING MEANINGS OF SEAWEED NAMES

 

  1. On the worksheet MAKING PREDICTIONS OF SCIENTIFIC NAMES, record predictions for the scientific names of the seaweed samples.  Use the information provided on this website on Naming Seaweed, the AlgaeBase website at http://www.algaebase.org/, European Register of  Marine Species at http://erms.biol.soton.ac.uk/lists/brief/Algae.shtml other internet resources, and the Brief Etymologies of Selected Scientific Names information sheet to help with making predictions.  Also research to find the etymologies of the scientific names.

 

  1. Your teacher will now display for you the scientific names of the seaweed samples but without giving away the matching numbers.  Using the Scientific Binomials for Seaweeds worksheet see if you can match the displayed scientific names correctly with the numbered samples.  Compare your predictions with this step of the naming process.  Do the names on the two sheets refer to the same qualities of each seaweed sample, or different qualities?

 

  1. Your teacher will display the correct matches.  What do you think of the scientific names given to each seaweed sample?  How do the names compare with your made-up names and your predictions?